NASA sees further with CSA

NASA has signed a cooperation agreement with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for future work on the James Webb Space Telescope.

Under the agreement, NASA will take responsibility for the overall management and operations of the mission, and build the spacecraft, telescope and platform to host the instruments.

The CSA will provide the fine guidance sensor instrument used to locate and maintain a fixed pointing on a guide star, which enables the telescope to take sharp images. The agency will also help to operate the telescope and involve astronomers from the Canadian science team in the observation program.

The James Webb Space Telescope, successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, is scheduled for launch in 2013, with a life-cycle of at least five years. It was designed for the investigation of the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and planetary systems.